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The Bard's Tale: Naitachal #3
Prison of Souls
Training under the Dark Elf Naitachal, Prince Alaire is sent on a diplomatic mission to discover why a once-peaceful neighboring kingdom, whose ruler has banned the use of magic, is preparing to go to war. Reprint.
340 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
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715 people want to read
About the author
Mercedes Lackey
441 books9,541 followersMercedes entered this world on June 24, 1950, in Chicago, had a normal childhood and graduated from Purdue University in 1972. During the late 70's she worked as an artist's model and then went into the computer programming field, ending up with American Airlines in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to her fantasy writing, she has written lyrics for and recorded nearly fifty songs for Firebird Arts & Music, a small recording company specializing in science fiction folk music.
"I'm a storyteller; that's what I see as 'my job'. My stories come out of my characters; how those characters would react to the given situation. Maybe that's why I get letters from readers as young as thirteen and as old as sixty-odd. One of the reasons I write song lyrics is because I see songs as a kind of 'story pill' -- they reduce a story to the barest essentials or encapsulate a particular crucial moment in time. I frequently will write a lyric when I am attempting to get to the heart of a crucial scene; I find that when I have done so, the scene has become absolutely clear in my mind, and I can write exactly what I wanted to say. Another reason is because of the kind of novels I am writing: that is, fantasy, set in an other-world semi-medieval atmosphere. Music is very important to medieval peoples; bards are the chief newsbringers. When I write the 'folk music' of these peoples, I am enriching my whole world, whether I actually use the song in the text or not.
"I began writing out of boredom; I continue out of addiction. I can't 'not' write, and as a result I have no social life! I began writing fantasy because I love it, but I try to construct my fantasy worlds with all the care of a 'high-tech' science fiction writer. I apply the principle of TANSTAAFL ['There ain't no such thing as free lunch', credited to Robert Heinlein) to magic, for instance; in my worlds, magic is paid for, and the cost to the magician is frequently a high one. I try to keep my world as solid and real as possible; people deal with stubborn pumps, bugs in the porridge, and love-lives that refuse to become untangled, right along with invading armies and evil magicians. And I try to make all of my characters, even the 'evil magicians,' something more than flat stereotypes. Even evil magicians get up in the night and look for cookies, sometimes.
"I suppose that in everything I write I try to expound the creed I gave my character Diana Tregarde in Burning Water:
"There's no such thing as 'one, true way'; the only answers worth having are the ones you find for yourself; leave the world better than you found it. Love, freedom, and the chance to do some good -- they're the things worth living and dying for, and if you aren't willing to die for the things worth living for, you might as well turn in your membership in the human race."
Also writes as Misty Lackey
Author's website
"I'm a storyteller; that's what I see as 'my job'. My stories come out of my characters; how those characters would react to the given situation. Maybe that's why I get letters from readers as young as thirteen and as old as sixty-odd. One of the reasons I write song lyrics is because I see songs as a kind of 'story pill' -- they reduce a story to the barest essentials or encapsulate a particular crucial moment in time. I frequently will write a lyric when I am attempting to get to the heart of a crucial scene; I find that when I have done so, the scene has become absolutely clear in my mind, and I can write exactly what I wanted to say. Another reason is because of the kind of novels I am writing: that is, fantasy, set in an other-world semi-medieval atmosphere. Music is very important to medieval peoples; bards are the chief newsbringers. When I write the 'folk music' of these peoples, I am enriching my whole world, whether I actually use the song in the text or not.
"I began writing out of boredom; I continue out of addiction. I can't 'not' write, and as a result I have no social life! I began writing fantasy because I love it, but I try to construct my fantasy worlds with all the care of a 'high-tech' science fiction writer. I apply the principle of TANSTAAFL ['There ain't no such thing as free lunch', credited to Robert Heinlein) to magic, for instance; in my worlds, magic is paid for, and the cost to the magician is frequently a high one. I try to keep my world as solid and real as possible; people deal with stubborn pumps, bugs in the porridge, and love-lives that refuse to become untangled, right along with invading armies and evil magicians. And I try to make all of my characters, even the 'evil magicians,' something more than flat stereotypes. Even evil magicians get up in the night and look for cookies, sometimes.
"I suppose that in everything I write I try to expound the creed I gave my character Diana Tregarde in Burning Water:
"There's no such thing as 'one, true way'; the only answers worth having are the ones you find for yourself; leave the world better than you found it. Love, freedom, and the chance to do some good -- they're the things worth living and dying for, and if you aren't willing to die for the things worth living for, you might as well turn in your membership in the human race."
Also writes as Misty Lackey
Author's website
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 3, 2021
Prison of Souls by Mercedes Lackey and Mark Shepherd
Alaire, a pupil, and Naitachal, the teacher, become reluctant ambassadors to Suinomen, the repressive neighbor state. Naitachal is a Dark Elf and a Bard. He has renounced his Necromancer roots for singing in the light. Alaire is the 8th and utterly redundant son of the king of Althea. Together they must discover the reason for their neighbor’s threatened war.
The interplay between teacher and pupil is entertaining. The plot is not obvious but nearly so. The root of the problem likes in Naitachal’s past but the duo is completely unaware of that fact.
The tale is part of the Bard’s Tale saga.
I enjoyed it and recommend it.
Alaire, a pupil, and Naitachal, the teacher, become reluctant ambassadors to Suinomen, the repressive neighbor state. Naitachal is a Dark Elf and a Bard. He has renounced his Necromancer roots for singing in the light. Alaire is the 8th and utterly redundant son of the king of Althea. Together they must discover the reason for their neighbor’s threatened war.
The interplay between teacher and pupil is entertaining. The plot is not obvious but nearly so. The root of the problem likes in Naitachal’s past but the duo is completely unaware of that fact.
The tale is part of the Bard’s Tale saga.
I enjoyed it and recommend it.
March 9, 2021
Despite no internet, which meant MUCH more reading, I can still remember how I felt reading this one!
There was pleasure at reading about the dark elf, Naitachal, again, and I found his pupil, Alaire, to be an interesting mix of naivety, and maturity.
When they went to Suinomen, and discovered about the Prison of Souls, I confess that Misty's description of Alaire's imprisonment had my hair standing on end!
Yet another great book, and one I'll enjoy reading once again, in a few year's time!
There was pleasure at reading about the dark elf, Naitachal, again, and I found his pupil, Alaire, to be an interesting mix of naivety, and maturity.
When they went to Suinomen, and discovered about the Prison of Souls, I confess that Misty's description of Alaire's imprisonment had my hair standing on end!
Yet another great book, and one I'll enjoy reading once again, in a few year's time!
February 16, 2021
Naitachal and Alaire go off to the mysterious kingdom of Suinomen where the us of magic is strictly monitored. They soon become embroiled in a plot to overthrow the king, and Alaire befriends the young roué, heir to the throne Kai, who has been side-lined by the king. The Prison of Souls is a rather ghastly concept wherein people illegally using magic are imprisoned and their souls drained which causes them to age. An old enemy of Naitachal reappears and is behind all of the problems going on in the kingdom.
Quick and fun read
Quick and fun read
March 1, 2010
I'm listing this and 2 other books based on the Bard's Tale game and only giving them 2 stars, mainly because I barely remember them. They were light and had a certain amount of humor...they were geared to a younger audience...and not memorable at all.
I suppose you'd enjoy them as a light read... some wouldn't want to invest the time. i can see that. I was into RPGs and read several game oriented books. Even if they weren't all that great sometimes. Oh well.
I suppose you'd enjoy them as a light read... some wouldn't want to invest the time. i can see that. I was into RPGs and read several game oriented books. Even if they weren't all that great sometimes. Oh well.
February 27, 2008
I'm not fond of many of Lackey's collaborations but this one is pretty okay. There is nothing surprising, new or particularly deep but the characters are 3-D as most any of her others. It was a nice distraction.
January 27, 2014
Interesting; the story line is well thought out and entertaining, if predictable. I especially enjoyed the character of Naitachal, the Bard.
November 9, 2015
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13689460
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13689460
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews